


Step Right Up

by newtedison



Category: The Maze Runner (Movies), The Maze Runner Series - All Media Types, The Maze Runner Series - James Dashner
Genre: Alternate Universe - Amusement Park, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Amusement Parks, Carnival, First Meetings, Fluff, M/M, Meet-Cute, Songfic, Strangers to Lovers, Summer, Summer Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-03
Updated: 2018-03-03
Packaged: 2019-03-26 13:55:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,998
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13859136
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/newtedison/pseuds/newtedison
Summary: Based on the song "Step Right Up" by the Red Jumpsuit Apparatus.Newt and his friends spend a summer day at the fair. One of the fair workers, a boy named Thomas, flirts with Newt in an attempt to have him win a prize at a fair game.





	Step Right Up

**Author's Note:**

> Would you believe there's no "fair" tag???? Anyway enjoy!

Newt squints against the bright July sun as he makes his way through the parking lot into the entrance to the fairgrounds. Him, Teresa, Minho, Gally, Sonya, and Harriet decided to get together and spend a day at their local fair to celebrate their summer vacation. Since they all go to different colleges, it’s hard to get together and hang out, but their schedules all seemed to perfectly align today.

Newt hands his ticket to the gatekeeper and the group makes their way through. Teresa quickly grabs a map from the information booth, her eyes scanning the page with earnest.

“Okay, I suggest we walk in a circle around the fair and make a list of what we want to prioritize,” she suggests, not looking up from the map. “There’s only so much time, and we all want to do different things, so we need to make sure there’s time fo-”

“Jesus, Teresa, relax,” Gally interrupts, gently placing a hand over the map. Teresa’s eyes snap up to meet Gally’s. “This isn’t some sort of science experiment or term paper. It’s a fair. We’re here to have fun, remember?”

“I know,” Teresa counters, “I’m trying to make sure we have as much fun as possibly. In an organized way.”

Newt lets out a chuckle. “We’re gonna have fun just being together. We’ll walk around in one direction if you want, but don’t be surprised if Minho runs off on his own.”

“He already has,” Harriet says, motioning her head towards one of the food stands. The group turns to see Minho buying a cotton candy stick double the size of his head.

“Oh, god,” Teresa groans, “he’s gonna have a sugar crash before we even make it to the fireworks.”

The group laughs and intervenes back with Minho, beginning their walk around the circle. They ride on the swings, the merry-go-round, and the giant slide. They walk through the hall of mirrors, taking selfies with their distorted reflections. Minho even manages to convince the group to ride one of the small coasters meant for children.

“I’m not sure you guys are gonna fit,” the ticket-taker says, eyeing them suspiciously. 

“Wow, are you trying to say I’m fat?” Sonya counters in mock offense. She raises an eyebrow and sizes the ticket-taker up.

“Uh-um, no, I just meant that, maybe-”

“You meant nothing. We’re giving you the tickets, so let us on the ride.”

He lets them on the ride, Minho taking the seat at the front so he can be the conductor. Newt laughs and takes photos of the group, blessed to have a day where he can finally unwind and have some fun.

Despite this, he can’t help but be annoyed at the way some of the game stand hosts are trying to coax his friends out of spending their money to play. He knows it’s their job, but it feels a little invasive.

“You there, the pretty blonde girl!” one guy with a neck beard calls out to Sonya. “You look like you’d want a nice little goldfish to take home, right?” 

“Fuck off,” Sonya says without giving him a second glance.  _ That’s my sister _ , Newt thinks.

Not even 10 seconds later, another host aims at Gally;

“Hey, you angry looking kid! In the camo shirt! You seem like the type to know how to shoot. Whaddya say?”

Then when they stop to buy some lemonade, another one chimes in at Teresa.

“Girl with the map! Stop reading and start playing some games!”

“I like reading!” Teresa snaps in response.

It goes on like this as they walk around the fairgrounds, each host getting slightly more annoying than the last. Newt tries to ignore it and focus on the fun he’s having with his friends, and remains grateful that no one has targeted him yet.

That is, until he makes it to the arrow-throwing game.

He almost didn’t notice it; it’s right between two kids’ rides, and as much fun as it was to watch Minho conduct the train, he’s not in the mood to ride another one.

“Step right up! Shoot an arrow at the target! It’s easy peasy, anyone can do it!”

Newt barely registers the noise; he’s been blocking out the megaphones all day.

“Somebody, anybody! Step right up! I’m really bored over here, someone please step up!”

Again, Newt and his group just keeps walking.

“Hey there! Cute blonde kid! In the green shirt!”

Newt stops. He looks down at his green shirt, then to the source of the noise.

He sees a game stand a few feet to his right, surrounded by giant plushies. The game host is a guy, likely around Newt’s age. He has dark brunette hair and a lopsided smile that sends a little jitter to Newt’s chest. He perks up when Newt notices him.

“Yeah! You! Come on, take a shot at the target! First round’s free! You got nothing to lose!”

The rest of his friends stop, watching the host with a smile on their face. They turn to Newt expectantly. He looks at them and raises his eyebrows.

“What, you expect me to go over there?” he asks. “It’s a scam! Not worth it.”

“Come on, it won’t cost you a penny!” the host continues. “First round’s on me! I swear!”

“You should do it,” Sonya suggests, nudging Newt’s shoulder. “He said the first round was free.  _ And  _ he called you cute. I say go for it!”

Newt looks over at Sonya, who looks up at him with an encouraging smile. He jokingly rolls his eyes, but knows he can’t say no.

“Fine,” he says, making his way to the stand.

“That’s right! Step right up, and shoot an arrow at that target.”

Newt looks at the game; it’s a dart throwing game, nothing too fancy or complicated. Entirely skill based.

“Remember, first round’s free,” the host says. Newt looks at the boy’s name tag and sees the name  _ Thomas. _

“Right,” Newt says, his voice tinged with suspicion. “And what’s the catch? If I lose, I have to pay anyway?”

“No way!” Thomas answers, shaking his head. He puts his hand to his heart. “I’m not trying to swindle you. Swear on it.”

“Uh-huh,” Newt hums, still not convinced. Regardless, he picks up a dart, and tries to get his aim right.

“Fuck em up, Newt,” Minho encourages behind him. 

“Get that bullseye!” Harriet cheers.

Newt sees Thomas laugh out of the corner of his eye. It sounds sweet.

He winds the dart back, it goes sailing and... _ thwunk!  _ Into the dart board. But not even close to the center.

“Oh, damn,” Thomas sighs, looking at the dart. “I can’t even give you a consolation prize for that.”

“That’s too bad,” Newt answers, ready to leave.

“Hang on,” Thomas interrupts. He casually leans one arm against the counter, holding his head up with his hand. “How about another go? On me. Your friends seemed to have pressured you a bit.”

“Another freebie?” Newt questions, raising an eyebrow. 

“For a cutie like you? Absolutely.” Thomas winks with a smirk.

Newt can feel his face burning the deepest shade of red, and clears his throat in embarrassment. 

“Can’t you get fired for that sort of thing?” Newt asks.

Thomas shrugs. “Who cares? This job sucks anyway. Besides, these plushies are pretty easy to win. I’m sure you’ll get it.”

“You overestimate his aiming skill,” Teresa chimes in. “His angles are way off. What he should be doing is--”

“Oh, just let the boy play,” Sonya interrupts. 

Bemused, Newt takes another dart and aims up a shot. Flustered from the attention (and the way Thomas is looking at him), he completely misses the dart board.

“Ouch,” Thomas chuckles. 

“What did you say about this being easy?” Newt jokes.

Thomas laughs in return. “Here, how about I make it a little easier?”

Thomas goes to the dart board and moves it slightly closer. He points to the middle ring. 

“If you get it anywhere in here or closer, you’ll win a prize. Deal?”

Newt cocks his head slightly. “But I have to pay this time, right?”

Thomas shakes his head again. “Nope.”

Newt smirks. “What are you trying to pull here, Tommy?”  _ Why did I just call him Tommy? _

Thomas doesn’t even blink. “Nothing. Just want you to walk away with a fun prize, is all.” He winks again, and Newt can’t help but wonder what Thomas means when he says  _ fun prize. _

Newt shakes his head in slight disbelief and picks up another dart. He gets in position to throw, winds his hand back.

“Aim slow,” Thomas suggests. Newt looks over at him. “There’s only so many freebies I can give you before I get in trouble, no matter how much I’d want to,” he says with a chuckle, and Newt has to quickly look away as he blushes, again.

Newt takes a deep breath in, and tries to steady his aim. He winds back, slow, like Thomas suggested, and  _ thwunk!  _ The dart hits the board, right in the second ring.

“See? I knew you could do it!” Thomas cheers, looking at Newt with shining eyes. Newt hears his friends also cheering behind him, and Teresa saying something about his aim.

“Only took me three tries,” Newt jokes, shrugging.

“Third time’s the charm, right?” Thomas smiles, warm and inviting. Newt’s heart quickens its pace, to his bewilderment.

Newt just smiles back, suddenly nervous.

“Well, I told you you would win a prize,” Thomas says, nodding slightly. “Wait one second.”

Suddenly Thomas runs to the back of the booth where Newt can’t see him. Newt waits for a few seconds before Thomas comes back.

“Okay, I think I want the-” Newt starts.

“You get this one!” Thomas interrupts, getting a stool. He steps on it and grabs a giant red heart plushie. He steps down and holds it across the stand for Newt.

“I told you it was easy to win,” Thomas adds, smirking shyly behind the plush. Newt can’t help but smile back as he grabs the heart plushie, ignoring the stifled giggling of his friends behind him.

“Thanks, Tommy,” Newt says, holding the plushie. 

“Yeah, sure,” Thomas answers, seemingly flustered. “Hey, uh, enjoy the fair. Make sure you go see the fireworks. I can’t go, but I hear it’s gonna be awesome.”

“Why can’t you go?” Gally asks. “Seems only fair, since you spend all day working here.”

“I gotta man the booth,” Thomas sighs, pointing behind him. “And I’ve already had my best customer for the day, so…”

Newt tries his best to suppress another blush. Normally he hated these game stand hosts, but Thomas was too adorable and sweet. Plus, he had let him play for free. 

“Oh, I’m sure somethin’ good’ll come up,” Newt assures, giving a small smile.

“Doubt it,” Thomas counters, “unless another pretty British boy decides to give this game a whirl. But whatever. You guys have fun.”

Newt’s chest lurches again at Thomas’ compliment, but he can feel his friend group starting to get impatient.

“Okay, yeah, um, see you around,” Newt says, even though he can’t guarantee that he will ever see this boy again. He gives another smile.

“See you,” Thomas replies, giving a shy smile back. The two lock eyes for  _ just  _ a moment too long before Teresa starts pulling Newt’s arm.

“Come on, we still haven’t gotten to the carriage rides,” she grunts as he drags Newt along. Newt forces himself to not look back at Thomas as he walks. 

The downside to winning this plushie, Newt realizes quickly, is that he now has to carry it around with him until he gets home. He shifts his hold on it while they wait in line for the carriage rides and feels something like paper on the side of the heart. Confused, he picks up the plush and looks at the source.

Sure enough, there’s a folded piece of paper stuck to the plushie with double sided tape. Newt opens it, expecting it to be a tag, but instead finds a note with a phone number. It’s signed  _ Tommy ;) . _

Newt immediately blushes and folds back up the paper, hoping nobody else saw it. 

“What was that?” Sonya asks from behind him, peeking over his shoulder. He turns around and quickly shoves the paper in his back pocket.

“Nothing. Just some tag.”

“That’s not true. Your face is as red as a tomato. He gave you a note, didn’t he?”

“He? Who’s he?”

Sonya rolls her eyes. “Thomas. From the dart game.”

“What? No. Who?”

“Come on, Newt. Tell me the truth. I’m your  _ sister _ .”

Newt sighs as Sonya plays the little sister card once again.

“Alright, fine,” he grumbles, lowering his voice to a whisper. “He gave me his number.”

“His NUMBER?!” Sonya exclaims, alerting the whole group. They turn towards Newt. 

“What’s happening?” Teresa asks.

“Bloody hell,” Newt grumbles, giving Sonya a glare. She shrivels slightly, and mouths  _ Sorry _ .

“I heard something about a number,” Minho chimes in. “Gimme details.”

Newt sighs again and rubs his free hand through his hair.

“That guy from the dart stand gave me his number with the plushie.”

Harriet and Teresa give small, excited gasps as Gally and Minho burst into grins.

“Oh, that is so cute,” Harriet says, beaming at Newt.

“Adorable,” Teresa agrees.

Newt blushes for the millionth time in the last ten minutes.

“Oh, come on,” he argues. “It’s not  _ that  _ cute. He’s just some guy who works at a fair, right?”

“No way,” Gally counters, shaking his head. “You gave him a nickname when he didn’t even know your name, and clearly he’s super into you.”

Newt shakes his head. “S’nothing, I swear.”

The group gives him disbelieving looks, but is interrupted by their turn on the carriage ride.

As Newt rides along on the bumpy carriage ride, holding the heart plushie in his lap, he can’t help but think of Thomas. He interacted with him for less than 10 minutes, and, like Gally said, Thomas didn’t even know his name. And yet he had already felt compelled to give him a nickname, and Thomas was clearly interested in Newt in some way. The weight of Thomas’ number in his back pocket suddenly felt much heavier than a piece of paper, and Newt was left rattled on what to do with it.

_ Should I text him?  _ He thought to himself as the carriage passed along the sunset.  _ When? And what would I even say? ‘Hi, it’s that cute British kid who doesn’t know how to throw darts’? I’ll seem like an idiot! _

He declares to himself that he’ll do nothing, and hopes Sonya and the others don’t bring it up again. He’s too nervous.

Their carriage ride finishes, and Teresa sets them marching again at a brisk pace.

“That dart game put us behind schedule,” she says, and Newt can’t help but feel a slight twinge of guilt, yet amusement. “We have time for one more ride before the fireworks show. It’s either the ferris wheel or the tower of terror.”

“Oh, tower of terror, all the way,” Minho nods.

“I want to ride the ferris wheel,” Sonya counters.

“I’ll come with you!” Harriet says, lacing her arm with Sonya’s.

Teresa sighs. “Okay. We’ll split up and go to the rides we want. We’ll meet back at the information booth before we go to the fireworks. Got it?”

Gally, Minho, and Teresa go to the tower of terror while Harriet, Sonya, and Newt head to the ferris wheel. As they’re waiting on line, Sonya nudges Newt from behind.

“Hey,” she whispers, leaning in slightly. Newt angles is head slightly so he can hear her better. “What are you gonna do about Thomas?”

Newt grumbles to himself.  _ Guess there goes the plan of no one bringing it up. _

“I don’t know, Lizzy,” Newt lies, using her nickname to soften the blow. “I’m not really a romantic person. Besides, I hardly know the guy.”

“So?” Sonya counters, poking Newt’s plushie. “He gave you this. He literally handed you his heart, and said it was easy to win. That counts for something.”

Newt hides another blush. “It’s  _ a  _ heart, not  _ his  _ heart.”

“You don’t know that. You should text him. Maybe you can meet up when he’s off duty.”

“I don’t know.”

“Come on. You can’t hesitate. This could be something special.”

“You’re getting really worked up over some fair worker.”

“Trust me.” Sonya pokes him in the side, and Newt can’t hold back his smile.

They get to the front of the line, and Newt realizes that there are only two seats per cart.

“Anyone okay with being a single rider?” the ride operator asks. Newt looks over at Sonya and Harriet, talking to each other with flirtatious smiles. 

“Yeah, I’ll go,” Newt volunteers. He knows that Sonya has a crush on Harriet; he figures he’ll give them some alone time together.

“Alright,” the ride operator says, motioning him forward. Sonya waves to Newt with grateful eyes as her and Harriet settle into their seats, Newt plopping into his and buckling up.

The wheel takes off, slowly beginning its ascent. Newt looks out at the fairgrounds, lit up by the bright, neon, flashing lights. He listens to the sound of the carnival games and children screaming below him, and feels the warm summer air grace his skin.

He finds his eyes travelling over to the dart board stand. Thomas is leaning against the counter, head on his hand, looking incredibly bored. Newt sighs to himself as he takes the note out of his pocket, fiddling it in his hands, but making sure not to accidentally let go and lose it in the breeze.

He looks at the series of numbers, and the word  _ Tommy _ , and the winking face, and a small smile creeps up. Something about Thomas felt strangely magnetic, as if he was being pulled to him by some unknown force. He thinks he would have gone to play the dart game even if Thomas hadn’t let him play for free.

The wheel stops towards the top to let more riders on, giving Newt some more time to think. He looks out at the parking lot, the rows and rows of cars. He sees the fireworks field in the distance, watches the workers set up, sees some people already camped out with blankets and lawn chairs. The fair was known for its fireworks; it had even won some awards.

_ Shame Tommy can’t see it _ , Newt can’t help but think.

He looks down at the note again, heavy in his hands. He wonders what exactly is holding him back from texting Thomas. It’s not that he was worried Thomas wasn’t interested; that much he had made obvious. It was more that he was worried that  _ he  _ was interested. What did it mean that he could become infatuated with someone so quickly? That he could be pulled to someone so easily?

It was scary to think of. But in a good way. A kind of thrilling way.

So he decides not to hesitate. He punches the number into his phone and shoots out a text.

_ N: Dart throwing champion here. How about you come see some fireworks? _

The response comes back incredibly quickly.

_ T: Hi there :) Wish I could, but someone has to watch over these plushies _

_ N: You didn’t seem to care much about that when you gave one to me for free _

_ T: I knew it was going to a loving home _

_ N: Well, if you decide differently, meet me by the carriage rides. I’ll be the one _

_ with the giant heart plushie _

With that, Newt shoves his phone in his pocket, afraid of the response. He knows 

he’s asking a lot of Thomas to have him abandon his job for him, but he seemed like he didn’t care much about it, anyway. For once, he’s diving in headfirst. No hesitation.

The ride finishes, and Newt quickly dashes away from the ride towards the carriages before Sonya and Harriet can spot him.

He can feel his heart quickening as he ducks his way through the crowds, clutching the plushie tightly. He’s never done anything this bold before; usually he followed everyone else’s lead, or stuck to the rules. But something about this boy and his bravery gave Newt courage.

He finally makes it to the carriages and sees that Thomas is already there, switching between checking his phone and the crowd. Newt stops when he sees him, then slowly starts walking forward. Thomas finally notices him and pauses for a second before nervously smiling, tucking his phone into his jeans.

“Hi,” Thomas says quietly.

“Hey,” Newt replies, slightly out of breath from walking so fast.

Another pause. “I, um,” Thomas starts, looking down for a moment. “I wasn’t sure if you were actually going to come.”

“Of course I would,” Newt answers, lifting up the plushie. “You gave me this heart, after all. It’s the least I could do.”

Thomas’ smile widens, and Newt marvels at how Thomas’ eyes manage to shine even in the dark, even brighter than the neon signs all around them.

“Okay,” Thomas says, glancing at Newt’s features quickly. “Alright. Let’s go see some fireworks.”

They start walking to the fireworks; Newt suddenly feels very aware of his hands, and decides to hold the plushie with both since he doesn’t know what else to do with them. 

“You a college kid?” Thomas asks, looking over at Newt.

Newt nods. “Yeah. You?”

“Yeah. I just graduated community college. Trying to figure out where to go next.”

“Ah,” Newt replies, looking at his feet as he walks, trying not to trip. “So how’d you end up working at the fair?”

“A friend recommended it to me. He’s not a very good friend, considering this job  _ sucks _ , but whatever. I doubt I’ll have to worry about that after tonight.”

They reach a spot next to one of the game stands, and lean against the back of it, ready for the fireworks. Newt ignores the heavy feeling his phone gives in his pocket, hopes his friends aren’t too worried about him.

“I am surprised you actually decided to come,” Newt adds, looking over at Thomas. Newt’s arms are wrapped around the plushie, clutching it to his chest. “I mean, you basically sacrificed your job for this.”

“Worth it,” Thomas says confidently, turning towards Newt with another lopsided smile that sends his heart soaring. “Absolutely.”

Newt smiles back, a trembling starting at the tips of his fingers. He feels an itch to do something, but he isn’t sure what.

He’s interrupted by the first firework; a thunderous BOOM, and a star-shaped pink sea of lights explodes in the sky. BOOM, another one. A green one, a yellow one. A red, white, and blue one. He pretends that one is for England, not America.

They watch for a minute in silence, Newt loosening his grip on the plushie to just one arm. The fireworks really are as good as people say; they’re loud, dazzling, and perfectly timed to the music.

“Woah, check out that one!” Thomas points when a heart-shaped firework goes off.

Newt chuckles. “That one’s perfect for you.”

He sees Thomas turn towards him out of the corner of his eye but keeps his gaze fixated on the fireworks, feeling self conscious. Suddenly, he feels the tips of Thomas’ fingers brushing his own. He looks down.

Thomas clears his throat. “Is it okay if I…” 

Newt nods, and Thomas laces their fingers together, gently rubs his thumb down the side of Newt’s hand. Newt grins and feels a tightening in his chest. He clutches the plushie closer to his side.

They look back up at the fireworks; it’s getting ready for the grand finale. A colossus array of golden lights shine up the sky, crackling and sparking and smoking. Newt can feel his rib cage rattling, a pulsing through his lungs. He’s not sure if it’s because of the fireworks or the boy holding his hand. Who knew both could cause such catastrophic tremors?

The show finishes, and he can hear the crowd whooping and hollering from a distance. Thomas turns to Newt and grins.

“That was awesome,” he says. “Thanks for convincing me to come out.”

“Don’t mention it,” Newt replies, melting into Thomas’ smile. They look at other for a moment, Thomas’ eyes traveling to Newt’s lips. Newt feels a tugging in his stomach, another magnetic pull.

Thomas eyes dart back to Newt’s, and his eyebrows raise. 

“I have an idea,” he says, giving Newt’s hand a quick squeeze. “Come on.”

Before Newt can process anything, he’s getting dragged off by Thomas, blindly following him into the darkness. They go behind the food trucks, hopping over wires and containers. Newt doesn’t say anything, doesn’t question anything, just follows Thomas, this magnetic boy.

Thomas leads him over to the edge of the fair, to a small fence that says  _ Only Employees Past This Point _ . He opens the fence and motions for Newt to follow.

Newt gives a nervous laugh. “I’m not an employee.”

“Yeah, and I won’t be either in a few hours. Now, come on.”

Newt jokingly rolls his eyes and goes through the fence, quickly checking behind him to make sure no one is watching.

Thomas grabs Newt’s hand again and continues to pull him along, past the backs of game stands with abandoned, locked-up plushies. The lights from the stands and rides illuminate Thomas as he walks, casting him in an orange and purple glow, silhouetting him in light.

Thomas leads him to a door and pulls out a key. 

“This is the ride I work on weekdays,” Thomas explains as he opens the door. He pulls out his phone and shines the inside with his flashlight.

Newt walks behind him, watching his feet carefully so he doesn’t accidentally kick Thomas. Suddenly, Thomas flips a switch, and neon lights shine through the front of the ride. It’s not enough for the inside to be lit up, but enough for Newt to see. They’re in one of those rides where you climb in tunnels, rotating platforms, and bridges. 

“I can’t turn the inside lights on, or they’re gonna know we’re in here,” Thomas says, turning towards Newt. “But they won’t be suspicious with the outside lights.”

Newt laughs. “You really don’t care about this job, do you?”

Thomas gives a mischievous grin as he takes a step towards Newt.

“Not one bit.”

Newt’s heart skips a beat as he sees Thomas coming closer, feels their hands connecting again. Newt looks down at them for a second before looking back up, sees Thomas’ eyes shining with warmth.

Thomas looks at Newt’s lips again before leaning in and giving Newt a quick kiss, their noses brushing. Newt closes his eyes and returns the kiss, feeling his hand being squeezed lightly. 

They kiss for a few more seconds before Thomas pulls back slightly, looking at Newt with a mix of curiosity and amusement.

“Hey, uh…” Thomas starts, giving a small laugh. “What’s your name?”

Newt also laughs as he realizes that he never told Thomas his name.

“Newt.”

Thomas’ nose scrunches as he giggles, squeezing Newt’s hand again.

“Newt? Like the lizard?”

Newt mockingly sighs. “Yeah, like the lizard.”

Thomas keeps giggling. “Oh, my god. I can’t believe I gave my heart away to a lizard.”

Newt looks down at the heart plushie he’s been holding at his side for the last hour, realizing now that Sonya was right.

Newt looks back up at Thomas, who is only just stopping his giggling.

“Still don’t get why you would,” Newt admits, giving a sheepish shrug.

“I…” Thomas starts, glancing around Newt’s face. “I don’t know. I don’t know.”

Thomas doesn’t seem to care why, though, because soon he’s leaning in to kiss Newt again. His hand lets go of Newt’s and pulls him in lightly by the waist. Newt places his hand on Thomas’ wrist, the other awkwardly holding onto the plushie. He doesn’t exactly want to drop it; it’s Thomas heart, apparently.

Newt’s never done anything like this before; go sneaking out with someone, initiating a meetup, accept some random guy’s number. It’s all very thrilling; the idea that they could get caught at any minute, that his friends are wondering where he is, that they’re somewhere they shouldn’t be. The idea that he’s allowing himself to do this, even though he barely knows this guy, is scary in the best way. His whole body feels coursed with adrenaline, a kinetic energy waiting to strike.

Thomas tugs Newt lightly by the waist and leans himself against the wall, pulling Newt in. Newt would love to wrap his arms around Thomas but, again, the plushie is getting in the way. He can feel it squishing against Thomas’ side as they kiss.

“Tommy,” Newt interrupts between kisses. Thomas pulls back slightly and looks up at him, the tips of their noses just barely touching.

“Yeah?”

“This is really nice and all, but I can’t do much with your heart being in the way.”

Thomas lets out a deep laugh, shaking Newt slightly. 

“Oh, right, yeah. I guess you have been carrying that thing for a while, huh?”

Newt grins. “Let me put it somewhere safe.”

He pulls back from Thomas and climbs the stairs to the upper tear. The rotating tunnel lays dormant at the end of the hall. Newt places the heart down gently.

“There,” Newt says. “Nice and snug.”

“Great. You know, we still have about an hour before they need to shut all the rides down.”

Newt looks down at Thomas, a playful smirk spreading across his face. Newt can already think of places he’ll take Thomas after this hour, after today, after next week. Or the places that he’ll allow Thomas to blindly drag him to. He didn’t care. The boy was, after all, magnetic.

“Alright,” Newt smiles, gesturing his arms out. “Then step right up.”


End file.
